158 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019
IN SIGHT
A Carp clock with a
retrograde hand, circa- It is part of a series
of 13 clocks featuring
animals or fi gurines.
Made between 1922
and 1931, they were
partly inspired by a style
of Louis XV and Louis
XVI clocks, whereby the
clock is set on the back
of an animal
PHOTOS: VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM (OEI HUI-LAN IN FLAPPER STYLE); MARIAN GÉRARD/CARTIER (BIRD BROOCH & CARP CLOCK); THE PALACE MUSEUM (DETAILING ON IMPERIAL ROBE & THE 19TH-CENTURY INCLINED PLANE GRAVITY CLOCK); NILS HERRMANN/CARTIER (1910 GRAVITY CLOCK)IN SIGHT
Beyond importing lacquer plaques inlaid with mother‑
of‑pearl from the Far East that would then be used
to decorate vanity and powder cases, the jeweller also liked
to incorporate pieces of Chinese antiques into its creations.
For instance, a 1925 Carp clock used a piece of carved
ancient jade depicting two fi shes swimming in the waves.
Through its Symbols Of Power section, which displays
some 30 tiaras as well as statement jewels such as the splendid
1947 diamond bib necklace formerly owned by Wallis
Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, the exhibition showcases
some of Cartier’s most famous clients, underlying their
appreciation of modernity through their jewels and precious
objects, with many showing Asian infl uences. Amongst the star
pieces is a jadeite bead necklace once owned by Barbara
Hutton, granddaughter of the founder of the Woolworths
retail chain, and bought back by The Cartier Collection at a
record‑breaking HK$214 million at the Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Magnifi cent Jewels and Jadeite auction in 2014.
The fi nal section of the exhibition, Time Memories,
highlights the recent undertaking by the Beijing museum and
Cartier’s watch manufacturer in Switzerland to restore six
timepieces – four clocks and two gold watches – from the
Forbidden City’s collection. “The collaboration was not only
a dialogue between restorers from China and Switzerland, but
also an exchange of technique and experience,” notes Wang
Jin, a research fellow at the Palace Museum.
The recently restored timepieces now on display are the
embodiment of the West‑meets‑East dialogue at the centre of
the exhibition, sitting amongst some of Cartier’s most famous
mystery clocks, many displaying elements of Chinese
inspiration, and other rare timepieces.A 1910 gravity clock from
Cartier (above), and an
inclined plane gravity clock
dated from the 19th century
(left) that is part of the Palace
Museum’s collection. The
clocks measure time via a
cylinder that rolls down an
inclined base over eight daysChina’s aesthetic universe and motifs infl uenced not only
the designs of Cartier jewellery sets, watches and clocks, but
also the workmanship in specifi c materials such as lacquer,
coral and jade, nourishing the entire process of creation.
Louis Cartier’s own collections of Asian antiques also
probably provided inspiration for some of the house’s
designers. For example, a Chinese porcelain plate painted
with famille‑verte enamels is believed to have served as a
model for a Cartier vanity case decorated with the image of
a Chinese lady sitting in a bejewelled garden, circa1928.